No, not the movie featuring Simon & Gurfunkle but my eldest boy's graduation from Basic at Fort Benning on Thursday. And I won't lie, it was emotional stuff, beginning with the walk to the Parade Field. Keep it together, parents.
That achieved, we appropriately ended up at the front with the Padre and on it went. I know many of you have done or witnessed this very thing so I won't go over the detail, but I was more than proud at the march past. Well done.
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We met up in front of the National Infantry Museum later and got a guided tour from the newly minted Private. He was enthusiastic and more than a little in awe of his ancestors, and rightly so. I thought seeing Goring's Baton was especially neat; encrusted with Luftwaffe diamonds, thank you very much. Well, hubris met nemesis and Carinhall is notoriously no more.
After the museum we headed out to a pleasant restaurant in Columbus, there is one, and then the Private navved us to the mall for a dose of something not military as well as an iPhone. After that it was on to Sandhill Gate for a tour of the boy's billet and training ground. It was good to see.
We ended up in the car park outside 2/47's compound where everyone got a chance to meet, greet and congratulate as incoming recruits were being beasted (smoked) by their Sergeants on the way to dinner. The graduates looked on with knowing amusement, they'd been there before.
The party ended at 1800 with a final formation in the rain, and we watched them till they marched off to a final night at Benning and their next assignment, AIT.
I tell you, it was a great day. Well done, boys.
LSP
34 comments:
Congratulations to the Private and to all who participated in the graduation ceremony. It all has to begin somewhere and as a custodian of the nation's defense, I'm sure that he has a bright future in store.
Well done, LSP.
Congrats to your son!
I drew KP on my graduation day, though I did see my company march past. No, it wasn't punishment, just my turn. Congratulations to the private. May he continue to do well.
Congratulations to your son. I'm glad you were there to see it. My memories of my youngest graduating at Ft Leonard Wood are among my fondest.
I went through Basic and AIT at FLW in 1963. Then, most of the buildings were WWII "temporary". A few have been preserved as museum pieces and touring them was a stark reminder the advances of a professional army vs a drafted army was long overdue, IMO.
Yes Sir, great stuff. I watched my daughter in law pass in review in the final day of Navy boot.
Congratulations to both of you! I graduated from jump school at Benning in 1978. Still remember it as a place where I learned to deal with fear better.
We done!
Congrats! And that museum is really good.
Congratulations to you and the Private, Parson.
May God watch over him as he serves.
Wow! He looks wonderful. Good job, Private!
My dad was inducted. He was two weeks into basic at Ft. Ord on December 7th. I graduated basic at Ft. Ord in '74 with my dad looking on.
Well done to you both. Carry on.
Bravo Zulu to all concerned.
Congratulations John! I’m sure you’re all very proud. Long may it continue.
It's been a bit of a journey, LL, and you've helped along the way. Means a lot.
Let's see how things go at Ft. Gordon.
Brig, I'll pass that on!
Thanks, Jim, and sorry about the KP. Had my share of that too...
WSF, I was taken aback by the facilities at Benning, everything seemed really tight and, of course, on a massive scale. I can imagine things were a bit different in '63!
Congrats to your daughter in law, Kid. It's quite a thing to see.
Thanks, tooldieguy. My boy's making noises about jump school... so maybe he'll return to Benning at some point.
Thanks, Anon!
What a great museum, Borepatch! I hadn't been before, amazing place.
Thanks for the prayer, drjim, very appreciated.
Quite a transformation, Adrienne!
RHT, that's quite a thing.
Thanks, Dick B.
Juliette, you'd be amazed at the progress he's made. Remarkable.
Congratulations to your son, Parson! Does he know which career field he is going in to?
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Bravo Zulu from an old Coastie!
Congrats!
You have the right to be a proud papa.
He's going Signals, Linda, but makes ominous noises about "air assault" and "jump school"! So we'll see how it all progresses, in the meanwhile he's got AIT at Ft. Gordon.
rickr, I'll pass that on!
AOW, it's quite a thing.
DR. Swankenstein... YES.
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